Focus Areas
- Ethical considerations in strategic communication practices
- Anticipating future trends and challenges in communication strategies
- Innovative approaches to ethical decision-making in communication contexts
- Implications of emerging technologies on communication ethics (AI, data use, etc.)
- Leadership through challenges and crises of the future
- Power, leadership, and ethical means of responsible values management
Eligibility Criteria
Methods are open and all areas of exploration are welcome; those of a futuristic bent will be most competitive.
We highly encourage ethical considerations and questions in papers of all topics.
Applicants must be members of the Global Strategic Communication Consortium in good standing as of the end of the last calendar year.
If a multi-author team applies, the primary author must meet the membership date requirement and any co-authors should be members or ask to join as GSCC members for consideration.
Researcher proposals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Projects should demonstrate a clear focus on both ethics and futurism within the realm of strategic communication.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be a maximum of 3 pages in APA style, including brief conceptualization, research questions, brief method, and a budget specifying funds (with references not included in the 3 page limit).
Proposals should include a clear research question, methodology, and expected outcomes.
Applicants must submit a detailed budget and timeline for their proposed research.
The deadline for submission is midnight eastern US time, June 30, 2024.
Please submit proposals by email of MS Word file to Elina Erzikova, erzik1e@cmich.edu.
Award Details
This is an annual award of $2,500.00 USD. We encourage researchers to use funds for data collection. Authors are eligible to apply only once per year.
As this is an award, not a grant, budgets should not include overhead, percent of effort, or course buy out.
Successful applicants will receive funding to support their research project. Projects supported by this award must bear the acknowledgment in future papers, chapters, presentations, or publications: “Study supported by the Berger Research Award of the Global Strategic Communication Consortium, University of South Carolina.”
Awards will be granted based on the quality, originality, and relevance of the proposed research.
Awardees will have the opportunity to present their findings at a future conclave or symposium. Award winners will also be given preference in future publications of the GSCC or opportunities to publish with our institutional affiliates.
Upon project completion, award winners are required to submit an academic research paper to the GSCC Conclave (completed research or research in progress categories) for potential inclusion in the Conclave. Upon submission of the final paper, the final monies due in the award will be released to winners.
Contact Information
For inquiries or further information, please contact Shannon Bowen (sbowen@sc.edu) or Elina Erzikova (erzik1e@cmich.edu).
We look forward to receiving your innovative research proposals exploring the ethical dimensions and future possibilities of strategic communication.